Apparatus for Transferring Bulk Material

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for discharging flowable bulk material from a first container having a base and a cylindrical container wall, rising upwardly therefrom, further comprising a wide container rim having an outwardly directed curvature, and for feeding the bulk material into a second container having a narrow filling opening, wherein the bulk material, as a result of the first container being tilted, flows over the container rim thereof into the second container, wherein the apparatus comprises a pour-out part mountable onto the rim of the first container, wherein the pour-out part includes a run-off surface spoon-shaped into a run-off channel defining a run-off direction and at one end forming an outflow mouth and at the other end being delimited by a bead-like elevation extending into a circular arc shape, including a web bordering the bead-like elevation and clamping parts that reach over the bead-like elevation.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for discharging flowable bulk material from a first container with wide container rim and for feeding the bulk material into a second container with narrow filling opening, wherein the bulk material, as a result of the first container being tilted, flows over the container rim thereof into the second container.

PRIOR ART

When liquids, liquid-solid mixtures or flowable solid or dispersible substances are drawn off from a container, e.g. a saucepan, into vessels having a restricted opening, the known problem exists that the pouring jet cannot adequately be focused, becomes heavily dispersed or, by capillary action, runs down the outer wall of the pan. In the preservation of jam, for example, it is virtually impossible to pour the draw-off product consisting of crushed fruits and juices directly from the pan into glasses, without bulk material missing the target or running down the outer wall of the pan. This is due to the fact that the volume flow of the pouring jet and the jet direction fluctuate strongly, or the liquid adheres to or runs down the outer wall as a result of capillary action.

In order to prevent this, a ladle, for example, can be used for the drawing off. The ladling is laborious, however. Moreover, ladles are inclined, for their part, to produce unwelcome dripping of the filling material, so that, apart from the loss of filling material, a squandering of the material is accompanied by dirtying of the work surface.

Another filling aid is the use of a filling funnel, which is held by hand over the filling vessel or is placed thereon. Both are very impractical and, when the funnel is removed from the vessel, lead to the after-dripping of the bulk material, which adheres to the wall of the funnel and detaches itself slowly.

In addition, a saucepan is known having a spout which is force-fitted during the manufacturing process at a point on the circular rim of the pan. Such a pan is generally provided with a handle. The drawback of the spout consists in the fact that the pan, in other cooking operations, cannot be closed tight with a lid.

REPRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

Starting from the prior art, the object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type stated in the introduction, with which the drawbacks attached to the filling aids according to the prior art are avoided.

Leading to the inventive achievement of the object is a pour-out part mountable onto the rim of the first container, comprising a run-off surface, which is shaped in the style of a spoon into a run-off channel with a run-off direction and at one end forms an outflow mouth and at the other end is delimited by a bead-like elevation extending in a circular arc shape, comprising a web bordering the bead-like elevation and clamping parts reaching over the bead-like elevation and the web, wherein the bead-like elevation, which extends in a circular arc shape, and the adjacent web can be fitted to the curvature of the container rim and to the outer side of the container wall in a substantially positive-locking manner, and the clamping parts can be fitted to the inner side of the container wall in a substantially non-positive-locking manner.

Advantageous refinements of the invention are the subject of dependent claims.

The run-off surface and the web generally form an angle from 100° to 150°, preferably from 110° to 130°, in particular from 115° to 125°.

The outflow mouth is preferably configured in the shape of a half-tube and the run-off channel has side walls of a height preferably corresponding at least to the diameter of the outflow mouth.

The transition from the run-off surface to the bead-like elevation expediently forms a gully as backflow protection.

The bead-like elevation can be coated at least partially with an elastic sealing material.

The bead-like elevation, and the web adjoining thereto, preferably have a length corresponding to roughly one-sixth of the circumference of the circle.

The clamping parts can be leaf springs, made of spring steel, fixed to the pour-out part.

Preferably, the pour-out part and the clamping parts are produced in one piece from a blank by forming and bending operations.

The pour-out part is preferably produced from a blank made of metal plate, preferably of stainless steel plate.

The apparatus according to the invention is especially suitable for transferring jam from a saucepan into vessels having a restricted opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Further advantages, features and details of the invention emerge from the following description of illustrative embodiments, as well as on the basis of the drawing, wherein, in schematic representation:

FIG. 1 shows the top view of an attachable spoon;

FIG. 2 shows the section through the attachable spoon of FIG. 1 along the line I-I;

FIG. 3 shows the section through the attachable spoon of FIG. 1 along the line II-II;

FIG. 4 shows an oblique view of a saucepan with mounted attachable spoon;

FIG. 5 shows the section through the arrangement of FIG. 4 along the line III-III;

FIG. 6 shows the section of FIG. 5, when a first sealing material is used;

FIG. 7 shows the section of FIG. 5, when a second sealing material is used;

FIG. 8 shows a section through the arrangement of FIG. 4 in the region of a clamping part.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

A filling or transferring aid for flowable bulk materials, which is represented in FIG. 1 to 3 and is configured as an attachable spoon 10, has a run-off surface 12 which is shaped by laterally raised walls 14, 16 into a channel 18 and ends in a run-off direction x in an outflow mouth 20. At its end opposite to the outflow mouth 20, the run-off surface 12 is shaped into a bead-like elevation 22. At its free end, the bead-like elevation 22 merges into a web 23 of 5 to 10 mm width.

The bead-like elevation 22 and the web 23 adjoining thereto have a circular arc shaped path having a radius R_(S) of, for example, 100 mm and a length of 100 mm, corresponding to roughly one-sixth of the circumference of the circle. This corresponds to a width B of the attachable spoon 10 on the mounting side of likewise about 100 mm. The bead-like elevation 22 serves as a backflow protection, which is described in greater detail further below.

The bead-like elevation 22 and the web 23 protruding therefrom are reached over at their two ends by a respective strip-shaped clamping part 26, 28, with the creation of a gap 30, 32 formed between the bead-like elevation 22 with adjoining web 23 and the strip-shaped clamping part 26, 28. The clamping parts 26, 28 are here integral parts of a one-piece blank, from which the attachable spoon 10 is made by forming and bending operations (FIG. 3).

In FIG. 4, the attachable spoon 10 shown in FIG. 1 to 3 is mounted on the rim 40, provided with an outwardly directed lip or curvature 42, of a standard domestic saucepan 34 having a base 36 and a cylindrical pan wall 38 rising up therefrom, the latter having a radius R_(K) of, for example, 100 mm.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the attachable spoon 10 is mounted, the bead-like elevation 22 and the web 23, protruding therefrom, of the curvature 42 of the pan rim 40 or of the pan wall 38 bear against the outer side of the saucepan 34 and ensure the secure holding of the attachable spoon 10 on the saucepan 34 and, at the same time, the leak-tight connection. The strip-shaped clamping parts 26, 28 reach over the pan rim 40 and are supported on the inner side of the pan wall 38. In this way, the attachable spoon 10 is clamped in place on the rim 40 of the saucepan and, if the saucepan 34 is inclined, does not slide out of its clamped setting. The clamping parts 26, 28 are here leaf springs produced from spring steel and are fixed to the attachable spoon 10 by rivet joints 48.

In order to prevent the creation of a gap and thus the run-off of leakage between the saucepan 34 and the attachable spoon 10, the radius R_(S) of the web 23 extending in a circular arc shape should approximately conform to the radius R_(K) of the cylindrical pan wall 38. Ideally, the radius R_(S) of the web 23 extending in a circular arc shape corresponds to the radius R_(K) of the cylindrical pan wall 38. In this case, the web 23 of the outer side of the saucepan 34 bears tightly against the pan wall 38 in a positive-locking manner (FIG. 5).

Standard domestic saucepans 34 have a radius R_(K) of 9 to 12 cm. To prevent the need for a suitably fitting attachable spoon 10 with radius R_(S)=R_(K) for each saucepan with a specific radius R_(K), differences in the radii R_(S) and R_(K) can be compensated for by a sealing compound 44, made of an elastic material, disposed between the bead-like elevation 22 and the curvature 42 of the pan rim 40 (FIG. 6). The sealing compound 44 can be, for example, a strip of a rubber or plastics material glued or vulcanized onto the bead-like elevation 22. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a sealing strip 46 is provided with a longitudinal slot 47 and is exchangeably mounted on the web 23 and a part of the bead-shaped elevation 22.

From FIG. 5 to 8 it can be seen that, at the transition from the run-off surface 12 to the bead-like elevation 22, when the saucepan 34 is set down, a gully 24 is. The effect of this is that, following the discontinuation of the filling operation, the back-flowing bulk material collects and cannot penetrate into the gap between the saucepan 34 and the attachable spoon 10.

The angle α between the run-off surface 12 and the web 23 is preferably between 110° and 130°. This angle allows, on the one hand, a safe run-off of the bulk material at the start of the pouring when the saucepan 34 is full, without bulk material on the attachable spoon 10 overflowing, and, on the other hand, sufficient guidance of the pouring jet when the saucepan 34 is virtually emptied and is tilted by 90° to 110°.

The secure guidance of the pouring jet is ensured by a depression of the outflow mouth 20 of the attachable spoon 10 as well as of its concave shaping. The depression has the form of a half-tube or of a known ladle. On the sides of the attachable spoon 10, the wall 14, 16 is sharply raised to prevent the bulk material from overflowing over the side of the attachable spoon 10 should it pile up on the attachable spoon 10 due to slow-flowing solids.

The attachable spoon 10 preferably consists of stainless steel of approximately 0.5 to 1 mm thickness and is shaped on a die stamping press.

In the manufacture and in the drawing-off of jam, for example, the attachable spoon 10 remains mounted on the saucepan 34 throughout the preservation process involving multiple cooking and filling cycles, so that no handling whatsoever is here given rise to. Following completion of the preservation process, the attachable spoon 10 is simply removed and washed down.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

-   10 attachable spoon -   12 run-off surface -   14 first wall -   16 second wall -   18 run-off channel -   20 outflow mouth -   22 bead-like elevation -   23 web -   24 gully -   26 first strip-shaped clamping part -   28 second strip-shaped clamping part -   30 first gap -   32 second gap -   34 saucepan -   36 pan base -   38 pan wall -   40 pan rim -   42 curvature -   44 sealing compound -   46 sealing strip -   47 longitudinal slot -   48 rivet joint -   D diameter of 20 -   H height of 14, 16 -   B width of 10 -   R_(K) radius of 34 -   R_(S) radius of 22, 23 -   x run-off direction of 10 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. An apparatus for discharging flowable bulk material from a first container having a base and a cylindrical container wall, rising upwardly therefrom, further comprising a wide container rim having an outwardly directed curvature, and for feeding the bulk material into a second container having a narrow filling opening, wherein the bulk material, as a result of the first container being tilted, flows over the container rim thereof into the second container, wherein the apparatus comprises a pour-out part mountable onto the rim of the first container, wherein the pour-out part includes a run-off surface spoon-shaped into a run-off channel defining a run-off direction and at one end forming an outflow mouth and at the other end being delimited by a bead-like elevation extending into a circular arc shape, including a web bordering the bead-like elevation and clamping parts that reach over the bead-like elevation and the web, wherein the bead-like elevation and the adjacent web are shaped to be fitted to the curvature of the container rim and to an outer side of the container wall in a substantially positive-locking arrangement, and the clamping parts are shaped to be fitted to an inner side of the container wall in a substantially non-positive-locking arrangement.
 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the run-off surface and the web form an angle from 100° to 150°.
 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the outflow mouth is configured in the shape of a half-tube and the run-off channel has side walls of a height corresponding at least to the diameter of the outflow mouth.
 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transition from the run-off surface to the bead-like elevation forms a gully as backflow protection.
 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the bead-like elevation is at least partially coated with an elastic sealing material.
 16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bead-like elevation and the web adjoining thereto, have a length corresponding to substantially one-sixth of the circumference of the circle.
 17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the clamping parts are leaf springs constructed of spring steel and fixed to the pour-out part.
 18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pour-out part and the clamping parts are produced as a unitary piece from forming and bending of a blank.
 19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the blank is a stainless steel plate.
 20. A method for transferring jam from a saucepan into vessels having a restricted opening, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first container having a base and a cylindrical container wall, rising upwardly therefrom, further comprising a wide container rim having an outwardly directed curvature; providing a second container having a narrow filling opening; and providing an apparatus comprising a pour-out part mountable onto the rim of the first container, wherein the pour-out part includes a run-off surface spoon-shaped into a run-off channel defining a run-off direction and at one end forming an outflow mouth and at the other end being delimited by a bead-like elevation extending into a circular arc shape, including a web bordering the bead-like elevation and clamping parts that reach over the bead-like elevation and the web, wherein the bead-like elevation and the adjacent web are shaped to be fitted to the curvature of the container rim and to an outer side of the container wall in a substantially positive-locking arrangement, and the clamping parts are shaped to be fitted to an inner side of the container wall in a substantially non-positive-locking arrangement.
 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the run-off surface and the web form an angle from 115° to 125′.
 22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the outflow mouth is configured in the shape of a half-tube and the run-off channel has side walls of a height corresponding at least to the diameter of the outflow mouth.
 23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transition from the run-off surface to the bead-like elevation forms a gully as backflow protection.
 24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the bead-like elevation is at least partially coated with an elastic sealing material.
 25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the bead-like elevation and the web adjoining thereto, have a length corresponding to substantially one-sixth of the circumference of the circle.
 26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the clamping parts are leaf springs constructed of spring steel and fixed to the pour-out part.
 27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pour-out part and the clamping parts are produced as a unitary piece from forming and bending of a blank.
 28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the blank is a stainless steel plate. 